Countless products are packaged and shipped to end-users in this country and around the world daily. Many products are placed in crates or boxes filled with packing material to minimize or prevent damage during shipping. Some products are stored and packaged in cartons, which may be sealed to prevent the enclosed items from exposure to ambient conditions. Other products are less sensitive and don't require a hermetic seal. Examples of packaged products may range from edible substances to industrial consumables, like welding electrodes. Cartons are commonly constructed from renewable or recycled material like, for example, corrugated cardboard, which is easy and relatively inexpensive to produce.
In many cases, similarly sized cartons are used to package different quantities of products. Some cartons may therefore contain a particular quantity of material leaving free space within the carton for the products to jostle about during shipment resulting in damage. This also affords the opportunity for stacked cartons to compress or deform. As the contents may not be uniformly distributed, pressure frequently collapses one end of the adjacent carton creating an uneven stacking surface. Cartons higher in the stack are therefore prone to falling and hence damage. Falling cartons also lead to an unsafe working environment. Furthermore, the tilted packaged contents look disorderly and unsightly.
It would be useful to provide a carton that automatically collapses under pressure in a uniform manner. Such a container would maintain a level relationship between upper and lower surfaces of adjacent cartons. A primary purpose of this invention is to provide such a device with its various attendant advantages.